Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Cindy Acker, PhD, is head of school for the Child Unique Montessori Schools in Alameda, CA. Past president of the Professional Association for Childhood Education and past vice president of the National Child Care Association, she currently serves as policy analyst for the Montessori Council of California and is a member of the AMS Public Policy Committee. Montessori-credentialed (EC). (7)

Christina M. Allen, MEd, MA, is head of Gloria Dei Montessori School in Dayton, OH, where she also serves as upper elementary directress. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (4)

Janet Bagby, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the department of educational psychology at Baylor University in Waco, TX. A member of the AMS Research Committee, she received the AMS Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2002. (5, 6)

Lucy Barnard-Brak, PhD, is an assistant professor in the department of educational psychology at Baylor University in Waco, TX. (6)

Casey Barnett, M.Ed., CALT, is an elementary teacher at the Shelton School and Evaluation Center in Dallas, TX. She has been at Shelton for 20 years. An adjunct professor, she teaches a course on ways to best help learning-different children in Montessori environments. With Dr. Joyce Pickering, Casey has coauthored several educational manuals. As a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Casey has special training in the teaching of reading, writing, and spelling skills to dyslexic children. AMS-credentialed (EC, EL) (2,3)

Syneva Barrett, MA, is assistant professor of Montessori education at St. Catherine University's Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs in St. Paul, MN. She is a former Montessori upper elementary teacher. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (1)

Mary-Dean Barringer, MA, is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Marlene Barron, PhD, is CEO of Barron International, a Montessori consulting firm; standards advisor at Etonkids Montessori Teacher Training Academy in Beijing, China; project coordinator of the Montessori teacher education program at New York University; and a MACTE commissioner. She is a past president of AMS and past treasurer of the International Association for Montessori Educators (IAME). Her book on observation, Recording and Reporting, has been translated into Korean and Chinese, and her book Sensorial Ideas has been translated and revised with Kimitoshi Matsuura and published in Japan. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5)

Michelle Battistone is principal of the Oaks Adventist Christian School in Houston, TX. A former director and teacher at the Montessori Country Day School in Houston, she is a field consultant for the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. AMS-credentialed (I&T). (1)

Judi Bauerlein, MEd, is, with all Montessori teacher educators, the 2010 AMS Living Legacy.

Meredith Beaton, MA, is a lead middle school teacher at Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. AMS-credentialed (EI-II); AMI-credentialed (SECI). (1)

Lynn E. Bensen, MS, is an adjunct instructor in the Montessori teacher education program at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL. She is a doctoral student in the areas of curriculum and instruction. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (7)

Manasi Bhattacharya, MA, has been a toddler teacher at Montessori New Beginnings Academy in Plano, TX, for 13 years. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EI); St. Nicholas.credentialed (EC). (3)

Jennifer Bitner, MA, CAGS, is a learning specialist at Oak Meadow Montessori School in Littleton, MA. She is a facilitator for the Schools Attuned Program with the All Kinds of Minds Institute and formerly worked as an assessment specialist for All Kinds of Minds and the Center for Student Success in North Carolina. (7)

Elaine Blasi, MEd, is founder and executive director of Montessori Hale O Keiki in Kihei, HI. A former director of Montessori programs and early childhood education for Chaminade University of Honolulu, she now teaches for Etonkids Montessori Teacher Training Association in Beijing, China. She serves AMS as chair of the Board Leadership Development Committee and as a member of the School Accreditation Commission. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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John Blessington is executive producer for cultural and religious broadcasts at the CBS television network. Also an administrative consultant, he is headmaster emeritus of Whitby School in Greenwich, CT, and former headmaster of two other independent schools. He was a member of the AMS Board of Directors from 1963 to 1974 and is the author of Let My Children Work! AMS-credentialed (I&T); AMI-credentialed (EII). (5)

Louise Bogart, PhD, is adjunct faculty for the Montessori teacher education program at Chaminade University in Honolulu, HI, and the Canadian Montessori Academy teacher education program in Ottawa, Canada. A former Montessori classroom teacher, she also served as professor and Montessori program director at Chaminade. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (3,4)

Julie Bragdon, MEd, is assistant head of school at the Montessori School of Denver, CO. A former Montessori classroom teacher, she has served as a field consultant, supervising teacher, and course instructor at the Montessori Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1)

Robyn Breiman, MEd, is elementary education coordinator, internship coordinator, and an instructor at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York. She is a former classroom teacher and school head and serves AMS as a member of the Secondary Task Force. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (5)

Max Buot, PhD, is assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. His research interests include multivariate statistical analysis, probabilistic record linkage, algebraic statistics, and genetic algorithms. (3)

Jennifer Haines Butler, MEd, is elementary and middle school director at Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. She is a former middle school teacher and coach at several other independent schools. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (1)

Shelli Caldwell is a program director at Institute of Montessori Education in Houston, TX. She formerly worked as an early childhood teacher and curriculum director of Innovative Montessori School and as an early childhood teacher at School of the Woods, both in Houston. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7)

Kathy Carey, MAT, is coeditor of Montessori Life; professor of family services and child development at Rose State College in Midwest City, OK; and adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University Montessori teacher education program. AMS-credentialed (EC). ( 1, 5)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Nancy Carlsson-Paige is professor of early childhood education at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. For over 20 years, she has written and spoken extensively about the impact of violence, especially in the media, on children, and the ways in which children can learn positive skills for caring relationships and conflict resolution. Her most recent book is Taking Back Childhood: A Proven Road Map for Raising Confident, Creative, Compassionate Kids. (4)

Misse Carolan, MS, is a behavior analyst for Achieve, a day treatment program for behaviorally and emotionally disoriented adolescents in Bath, ME. She is a workshop presenter and teacher educator for New England Early Childhood Associates in Kingston, RI, and a faculty member of Northeast Montessori Institute in Rockport, ME. AMI-credentialed (EC). (6)

Penny HildeBrandt Cichucki, MEd, is founder and cohead of Crystal Lake Montessori School, Woodstock, IL; educational director of the Secondary I Credential Program for the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center; and former Heads of Schools chair of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II, SECI-II). (6)

Steve Clem, PhD, is executive director of the Association of Independent Schools in New England, headquartered in Braintree, MA. He is past vice president for academic services at the National Association of Independent Schools as well as a former independent schoolteacher and administrator. (7)

Betsy Coe, PhD, is program designer and principal of the middle and high school programs at School of the Woods in Houston, TX, where she is also executive director of the Houston Montessori Center for teacher education. A board member and chair of the AMS Teacher Education Action Committee, she has also served AMS as board president and chair of three annual conferences. She was honored as the AMS 2008 Living Legacy. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II, SECI-II, ADM). (6)

Marie Conti, MEd, is AMS senior director of school accreditation and member programs. She has 29 years of experience as a Montessori teacher, teacher educator, TEP director, school administrator, and regional group leader. In 2009, she was honored with the Montessori Teachers Association of Pennsylvania's Award of Excellence. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2, 5)

Deborah Cramer writes and lectures about science, nature, and the environment. She is a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Earth System Initiative, and, in 2005, she received the science writing fellowship at MIT's Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology. She is the author of Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage and Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water Our World, the companion to the Smithsonian Institution's new, permanent ocean hall. Of this book, Rachel Carson's biographer Linda Lear wrote: .Rachel Carson wrote the ocean's biography for the 20th century, and Deborah Cramer, with the same passion and meticulous research, has written it for the 21st.. She lives with her family in Gloucester, MA. (5)

Judith Cunningham, MEd, is head of Oak Farm Montessori in Avilla, IN. The founder and executive director of Montessori Model United Nations, she is a former member of the AMS Board of Directors. AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (3)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Michelle Cutler, PhD, is a former special projects coordinator at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. An American Speech/Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) certified audiologist, she has presented numerous studies relating to the education of hearing impaired children and literacy development. (3,4)

Claudia Daggett is executive director of the Elementary School Heads Association, a national association of heads of independent elementary schools, and a consultant with Gregory Floyd and Associates, which specializes in head searches, governance workshops, and strategic planning. The former head of Friends Academy in North Dartmouth, MA, she served as a visiting heads fellow at the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Columbia University. (7)

Sharon Damore, EdD, is an assistant professor of elementary education at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. An AMS Board member and Research Committee chair, she has also held positions as teacher, principal, special education director, dean, and head of school. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2)

Carolyn J. Daoust, PhD, is an associate professor, Montessori elementary coordinator, and director of interns at St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA. A member of the AMS Research Committee, she received the AMS Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2005. AMS-credentialed (EC); AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (3,5)

Gary Davidson, MA, is founder and director of Seacoast Center for Education in New Hampshire and Florida, and a classroom teacher and curriculum developer with more than 30 years of experience working with children ages 6.15. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (5)

Deanna DeCampos, MFA, is early childhood music and movement specialist at Eastside Westside Music Together in New York, NY, and a member of Music Together's editorial advisory board. (1)

Kathryn S. DeMarco, MA, is a lower elementary lead teacher at Hill View Montessori Charter Public School in Haverhill, MA. AMS-credentialed (EI). (2)

Marta Donahoe, MEd, is founder of Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School in Cincinnati, OH, and director of the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program. She provides consultation to public and private schools throughout the country and serves AMS as cochair of the Task Force for Administrator Credentials. AMS-credentialed (EI-II, SECI-II). (3, 4, 6)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Michael J. Dorer, EdD, is director of the Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs and an associate professor of education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. The director of the Montessori Leadership Group, a Montessori teacher support and consultation firm, he is a past president of both AMS and the International Association of Montessori Educators. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI); AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (6)

Sherry Doughty is owner/administrator of Doughty Montessori School in Ann Arbor, MI. She is a former Montessori schoolteacher and has served as a supervising teacher for several Montessori student teachers. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2)

Patty Drieslein is a certified alcohol and drug counselor, owner of Priority Montessori Learning Materials in Gold Canyon, AZ, and a Montessori parent. She provided expert testimony at the first congressional hearings on underage drinking in her previous work as associate director of the San Diego County Alcohol Policy Panel. (Parents Program)

Renee DuChainey-Farkes, MEd, is head of Kingsley Montessori School in Boston, MA, and a member of the AMS Board of Directors and Finance Committee. She is the past president of Montessori Schools of Massachusetts, which she currently serves as director and treasurer. (2)

Rebecca D'Neil Duffy, MEd, is elementary coordinator, faculty member, and school consultant for the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York. A cofounder of Blackstock Montessori School in Villa Rica, GA, she coauthored Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom and serves AMS as a consultant, member of the board of directors, and cochair of the Public Policy Committee. AMS-credentialed (EI-II); AMI-credentialed (EC). (1)

Marie M. Dugan was honored as the AMS 2009 Living Legacy. A private Montessori consultant, she also works as co-coordinator for the Course for Montessori School Management at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York. She currently serves AMS as a chair of the Archives and Centennial Campaign Committees, representative to the United Nations, and member of the Development Committee; in the past she has been AMS president, interim executive director, chair of the Founders Fund, and first chair of the Heads Section. She is the former head of Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3)

Pamela Dunbar, MBA, is head of the Montessori Academy of Arlington in Arlington, TX. A former professional development specialist for the Fort Worth (TX) Independent School District, she has served AMS as a school accreditation team member and as a member of the Annual Fund Committee. (2)

Ruth Dyke, DVM, is lead early childhood teacher at Christopher Academy in Scotch Plains, NJ, and a head lecturer at Christopher Academy Teacher Education Program. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Debbie Edwards, MEd, is Montessori training coordinator, curriculum coordinator, and an outreach staff member for the June Shelton School and Evaluation Center in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and certified in the beginning level of Montessori Applied to Children at Risk. AMS-credentialed (EI). (5, 6)

Marge Ellison is founder and head of Montessori Country Day School in Houston, TX, and serves as chair of the Heads Section of the AMS Board of Directors. Founder and board president of the Children's Enrichment Fund, she has helped start Montessori schools in Nairobi, Kenya, and Moscow, Russia. She is also a 20-year board member and officer of the Houston Montessori Center. AMS-credentialed (EC, ADM). (7)

Sarah Enright is an educational consultant with Perspectives Montessori Consulting, based in Toronto, ON, Canada. She has been a Montessori school head; a curriculum coordinator; and an early childhood, lower elementary, and upper elementary teacher. She is a former secretary of the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators. AMS-credentialed (ADM); Montessori-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (7)

Ann Epstein, PhD, is an assistant professor and advisor in the early childhood program at Lander University in Greenwood, SC. A former Montessori early childhood teacher, she currently serves as a member of the AMS Research Committee and provides consultation to Montessori schools on issues related to children with exceptionalities. In 1996, she was awarded the AMS Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3)

Paul Epstein, PhD, works with the Montessori Foundation in Sarasota, FL, as a teacher educator, school consultant, researcher, and curriculum material developer. A former Montessori school head, he coauthored The Montessori Way and is a member of the board of the International Montessori Council and the editorial board of Montessori Leadership magazine. AMS-credentialed (EC, SECI-II). (4)

Guadalupe Espejel is a teacher at Keeble EC/PK Center, a public Montessori program in the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, TX. NCME-credentialed (EC). (3)

Thomas M. Evans is president of Resource Group 175, a firm specializing in head search and governance consulting for not-for-profit independent schools. He has worked as a teacher and school head at several independent schools as well as a field representative for the National Association of Independent Schools. (5)

Dawn Fastiggi is a lower elementary guide at New Horizons Montessori School in Dresher, PA. A former art specialist, she also taught art in the Montessori teacher education program at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (5)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Stephanie Flanigan, JD, is head of the Montessori School of Denver, CO, where she is a former parent and board member. She is vice president of the Association of Colorado Independent Schools, for which she also serves as school accreditation committee chair. (1)

Diane W. Frankenstein, MA, is an international educational consultant in private practice in San Francisco, CA. Over the course of her 20 years of working with children, parents, and teachers, she has developed the Conversational Reading method to help children discover the pleasure of reading. She is the author of Reading Together: Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read. In addition to her work with over 150 school communities, she has consulted for numerous organizations, including the American Association of University Women, California Association of Independent Schools, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., Young Presidents. Organization, Young Men's Christian Association, and United Nations Association. (Parents Program)

Robert Fricker, MA, is an associate at Educational Directions.West, in Berkeley, CA, an educational consulting firm specializing in head and administrative searches, strategic planning, and issues of governance, and former head of Independent Day School in Middlefield, CT. (6)

Anita Gerner is a lead teacher at Newton Montessori School in Newton Centre, MA. AMI-credentialed (EC). (6)

Eugenia Gomez-Escobar, MA, is a lead teacher at Newton Montessori School in Newton Centre, MA. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (6)

Robert Greenleaf, EdD, is president of Greenleaf Learning, a human resource development company specializing in educational strategies for understanding behaviors, building esteem and achievement, and brain-based learning. A former professional development specialist at the Education Alliance at Brown University in Providence, RI, he has taught at the college level and all grades from K through 12 and has held school administrative roles, including principal and district superintendent. The author of eight instructional books, he holds a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and a master's degree in educational administration. (1)

Beth A. Grosshans, PhD, is a child psychologist in private practice in Princeton, NJ, and a child development instructor at Princeton Center for Teacher Education. She is the author of Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm, written in collaboration with Janet H. Burton, LCSW. (Parents Program)

Jessica Christina Hammes, MS, is a lead kindergarten guide at Primavera Montessori School in Austin, TX. AMS-credentialed (EC); Montessori-credentialed (EC). (7)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Michelle Hammons, MEd, is principal of Eagle Peak Montessori, a public charter school in Walnut Creek, CA. A former Montessori early childhood teacher, she serves AMS as cochair of the Public Policy Committee and a member of the Leadership Committee. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1)

David B. Harris is head of Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. A former head of several other independent schools, he has also served on the boards of the Association of Independent Schools in New England, Montessori Schools of Massachusetts, and the Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools. (1)

Maureen Harris, MEd, teaches early childhood music education in teacher education programs at the University of Windsor and at Children's House Montessori, both in Windsor, ON, Canada. She is planning to launch a Montessori mentoring program at the O.Brien School for the Maasai in Moshi, Tanzania, Africa. A member of the AMS Research Committee, she is the developer of Montessori Mozarts, an instructional music program for Montessori students, and author of Music and the Young Mind and Listen to Their Voices. She is the recipient of the 2009 Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Hugheen Ferguson Award. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3)

Elizabeth Hickey, MPP, is an early childhood lead teacher at Oak Meadow Montessori School in Littleton, MA. She has completed the Schools Attuned Program from the All Kinds of Minds Institute. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7)

Evan Clayton Horback, MEd, is a lower elementary guide at Bucks County Montessori Charter School in Fairless Hills, PA. AMS-credentialed (EI). (5)

Patrick Horgan, MBA, is owner of Horgan Marketing, a Freeport, ME.based consultancy firm providing strategic marketing and research services to independent schools. He has worked in marketing and advertising at L. L. Bean, Hannaford Bros., the Gillette Company, and Wyeth. (1)

Lisa Van Horne is assistant head of school and director of admissions at Newton Montessori School in Newton Centre, MA. AMS-credentialed (ADM). (6)

Tom Jankowski, JD, LLM, is senior corporate counsel, specializing in regulatory compliance for K-12 charter schools in multiple states, for the Apollo Group, Inc., in Phoenix, AZ. Secretary of the AMS Board of Directors and an AMS delegate to the United Nations, he is a former teacher and middle school co-founder at Villa Montessori School, also in Phoenix. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (2)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Simon Jeynes, MA, is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Janet Jolley is director of Bright Horizons Montessori at Greenwood Plaza in Englewood, CO. (7)

Carey Jones is coeditor of Montessori Life and a freelance writer, editor, and chef based in San Francisco, CA. (1)

Maria Kaminstein is a Montessori consultant and teacher educator specializing in parent workshops and teacher coaching. She also leads the intern seminar for the Montessori teacher education program at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. She is a former Montessori early childhood teacher. AMI-credentialed (EC). (4)

Abbie Kelly is AMS manager of teacher education services. Before coming to AMS in 2008, she spent 23 years as business manager of Sea Pines Montessori Academy in Hilton Head, SC. (2)

Amy Kelton is assistant head of the lower and upper elementary programs at the June Shelton School and Evaluation Center in Dallas, TX. Certified in Sequential English Education and the Association Method programs for the remediation of written language disorders as well as advanced levels of Montessori Applied to Children at Risk, she is currently completing her coursework for a master's degree in educational leadership. Montessori-credentialed (EI). (5, 6)

Liz Knox is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Yayoi Kobayashi, MA, is an early childhood teacher at Park West Montessori School in New York, NY, and an assistant math instructor for West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program, also in New York. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Alan S. Koesten is principal of Marware Montessori Academy in Hollywood, FL. An adjunct professor in the Montessori teacher education program at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, he is a doctoral student in the area of curriculum and instruction. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (7)

Kathryn Kolata is lower elementary teacher and director of summer programs at the Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes in Mishawaka, IN. She is currently enrolled in the Acknowledging Montessori for a Masters program at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. AMS-credentialed (EI). (4)

Irena Kubinova is an early childhood teacher at Park West Montessori School in New York, NY, and an assistant math instructor for West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program, also in New York. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3)

Tracy Kukkonen is director of admissions at Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. AMS-credentialed (ADM). (1)

Lisa A. Lalama is an upper elementary lead teacher and program coordinator at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE, and a certified graduate of the Schools Attuned Program. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (3)

Anna Langstaff is lead lower elementary teacher at Meadowbrook Montessori in Freeport, ME. AMS-credentialed (EI); NCME-credentialed (EC). (3)

Joshua Langstaff is an artist based in Portland, ME. He has received grants from the Stacey Foundation, the Art Renewal Center, the DeZordo Estate, and the Wright Foundation. (3)

Peter J. Larrow, MEd, is codirector of Montessori Opportunities, Inc., a mobile teacher education program based in Norwalk, OH. A school consultant and workshop facilitator who has taught at Walsh and Xavier Universities, he also serves on the AMS Board of Directors as chair of the Teacher Education Committee. AMS-credentialed (EC). (Teacher Educators Networking Session)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Heidi Larson, MEd, is a lower elementary teacher at Mercy Montessori Center in Cincinnati, OH. She chairs the Teachers Section of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EI). (1, 3, 7)

Jennifer Mercurio Leen, MEd, is founder of Inward Success, a professional development company specializing in innovative wellness programs and peace education. A Montessori teacher, she developed the Conscious Kids program, which incorporates stress reduction techniques with character and leadership development. (1)

Frank Leto is an award-winning composer, recording artist, and performer of multicultural songs and dances for young children. A Montessori teacher educator, he currently works as a jazz teacher for Albuquerque Public Schools and as a music teacher and steel band director at Cottonwood School in Corrales, NM. AMS-credentialed (EC). (6)

Diane Levin, PhD, is the 2010 AMS Friday Keynote Speaker.

Donna Milani Luther, MEd, is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Mary MacIntosh, MEd, is head of the Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes in Mishawaka, IN, and a teacher educator for the Montessori Teacher Academy in Mishawaka. A former head of Montessori schools in Illinois and Virginia, she is also a past member of the AMS Board of Directors. AMI-credentialed (EC). (4)

Marjorie Maher is a retired Montessori early childhood teacher; a board member for Full-Circle Learning; and director of a children's theater company in Providence, RI. A past board member of the Pacific Northwest Montessori Association, she taught at Eton School in Bellevue, WA, and was the owner/director of Mukilteo Montessori School in Mukilteo, WA. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7)

Biff Maier, MEd, is director of faculty and curriculum development at Lexington Montessori School in Lexington, MA, and elementary curriculum coordinator at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York. He is former chair of the Teachers Section of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI); AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (4)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Claudia Mann, MA, is head of school and elementary teacher at Chaffee County Montessori School in Salida, CO. She received an AMS Peace Seed Grant in 2008. AMS-credentialed (EI-II, SECI). (4)

Stephanie Pace Marshall, PhD, is the 2010 AMS Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch Lecturer.

Linda Massey, PhD, is a 6th- and 7th-grade teacher in a new Montessori middle school program within the Arlington Public School District in Arlington, VA. A 30-year Montessori veteran, she formerly worked as the Montessori instructional specialist in Prince George's County, MD. In 2008, she received the AMS Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award. AMS-credentialed (EI). (2)

Sharleen A. McCorrister is founder and head of the Greenwoods Academy in Kanata, ON, Canada, where she is also a master teacher in the casa classroom. A former Montessori teacher educator, she is the founder of Families for Families, a not-for-profit campaign through which Montessori students provide portable housing shelters for impoverished families in Haiti. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (2)

Sonnie McFarland is director of Shining Mountains Press in Buena Vista, CO, and an international consultant specializing in Montessori parenting, peace education, community building, and adult transformation. The former head of Montessori School of Denver and the founding head and teacher at Shining Mountains Children's Center in Pueblo, CO, she chairs the AMS Peace Committee and is a former member of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4)

Ginger Kelley McKenzie, EdD, is associate professor, Department of Early Childhood and Literacy, College of Social Sciences, Health, and Education, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. for the past 17 years. Has authored over 30 articles in Montessori journals, was director and teacher (3-6 and 6-12) for 13 years in a Montessori school in Texas, and a past President of MACTE. NCME credential 3-6 and 6-9. (3)

Nancy J. McNabb, MS, is head of Middle Creek Montessori in Bozeman, MT. She is the founder and former director of Montessori Children's House of Minnetonka, MN, and the former director of the infant-toddler program at Montessori International of Gardiner, MT. AMS-credentialed (I&T); PAMS-credentialed (EC). (4)

Kathryn Miller is a program director at the Institute of Montessori Education and an instructor for early childhood and administration at Houston Montessori Center, both in Houston, TX. For 22 years she was an early childhood teacher and parent activities coordinator at School of the Woods, also in Houston. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Kate Mitchell is a teacher and program director at Doughty Montessori School in Ann Arbor, MI. She has served as a supervising teacher for several Montessori student teachers. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2)

Laurie Moreno, MA, is a lower elementary teacher at Brookview School, a Montessori community in Benton Harbor, MI. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1)

Dolores Morra is a lead early childhood teacher at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. MACTE-credentialed (EC). (Parents Program, 1)

Tom Muro, MEd, is a teacher at George Washington School, an inner-city public school in Kingston, NY, currently converting to a Montessori program. He is in the process of working on his Montessori lower and upper elementary credentials. (7)

Angela Murray, PhD, is research coordinator for AMS. A former adjunct faculty member at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS, she was the recipient of the AMS 2006 Outstanding Master's Thesis Award. Her doctoral dissertation, .Public Perceptions of Montessori Education,. received honors from the University of Kansas in 2008. (2,3)

Andrea Naddaff, MS, is partner and vice president for business development at Corey McPherson Nash, a branding, print, and new media communications firm in Watertown, MA. A frequent speaker on issues of brand and corporate identity, she serves as a juror for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education design award competition. (4)

Greg Nelson, PhD, is a professor in the elementary and early childhood education department at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, MA, where he also serves as director of the early education and care program. He is a former Montessori teacher educator, school administrator, and classroom teacher. AMS-credentialed (EC); St. Nicholas.credentialed (EI). (2)

Jeanne Nightingale, PhD, is outreach director at Nightingale Montessori in Springfield, OH. (3)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Jennifer Nolan is assistant director and head teacher at Seton Montessori School in Clarendon Hills, IL, and a faculty member of the MECA-Seton teacher education program. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3)

Cathy O.Connor is director of the program in applied linguistics at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston University (BU) in Boston, MA. She is also a professor in the BU School of Education. (3)

Joanne Oh, MA, is AMS director of school accreditation and professional development. She has been involved in education for 20 years.16 of which were in Montessori education.as a teacher, school administrator, and teacher education program faculty member. She was also an adjunct professor and student supervisor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2, 5)

Laura Z. Orsic is a lower elementary lead teacher at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. A certified graduate of the Schools Attuned Program, she is a former director of the Montessori Resource Center of Delaware. AMS-credentialed (EI). (3)

Elda Guadalupe Pacheco, MA, is a teacher at Keeble EC/PK Center, a public Montessori program in the Aldine Independent School District (AISD) in Houston, TX. In 2007, she was honored as AISD's bilingual district teacher of the year. NCME-credentialed (EC). (3)

Elizabeth Park iis director of Montessori Teacher Education Programs at Chaminade University of Honolulu and the author of the publication "Montessori Pedagogy for a High-Functioning Autistic Child.” (3)

Erica Patterson is a lower elementary teacher at Brockman Montessori School in Columbia, SC. (3)

Madalaine Patzalek is primary coordinator and lower elementary teacher at St. Maarten Montessori School in Netherlands Antilles. Prior to moving to the Caribbean, she worked as a Montessori teacher in Canada and as a teacher educator for St. Nicholas Montessori Centre in London, England. St. Nicholas.credentialed (EC, EI-II). (3)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Anna Perry, MEd, is director of Seton Montessori School and executive director of the MECA-Seton teacher education program in Clarendon Hills, IL. A doctoral candidate in child development, she serves AMS as a member of the Research and Public Policy Committees as well as the Task Force on Professional Development. AMS-credentialed (EC, ADM). (3, 5)

Celma Pinho Perry, MA, is an international Montessori consultant, founder of the Montessori Education Centers Associated (MECA) teacher education program, and founder and codirector of the MECA lab schools in the Chicago, IL, area. An active AMS member since 1964, she was honored as the AMS 2005 Living Legacy. AMS-credentialed (EI); AIRAP-credentialed (I&T, EC, EI-II, SECI). (4)

Dane Peters, MA, is head of Brooklyn Heights Montessori School in Brooklyn, NY. He has chaired several not-for-profit organizations and school boards, is a trustee of the New York State Association of Independent Schools, and chair of the AMS Audit Committee. Dane is a member of the AMS Board of Directors. (3,6)

Amanda Phy Rainey is assistant head of the Montessori Academy of Arlington in Arlington, TX. AMS-credentialed (ADM). (7)

Joyce S. Pickering, HumD, CALT, is a Pre-Conference presenter and is also presenting in sessions (2,3). (Pre-Conference, 2, 3)

Daniel Pink, JD, is the 2010 AMS Closing Keynote Speaker.

Phyllis Povell, PhD, is professor emerita and former director of the early childhood program at Long Island University, NY. She serves AMS as chair of the Dissertation and Thesis Award Committee and secretary of the Archives Committee. She is the author of a new book, Montessori Comes to America: The Leadership of Maria Montessori and Nancy McCormick Rambusch. (1, 4)

Mark Powell, MEd, is technology coordinator at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland, CA. A former lower and upper elementary Montessori teacher, he is also a teacher educator with the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York and has designed many Montessori materials, marketed through Hello Wood and Nienhuis USA among others. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (3)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Colleen Quinn, MFA, is a movement, dance, and theater specialist at Inly School in Scituate, MA. She has taught dance and choreography at the college level as well as at several regional theaters and performing arts camps. (3)

Sheila Reed, MSEd, is lead upper elementary teacher and curriculum coordinator for upper elementary and middle school at the Chemung Valley Montessori School in Elmira, NY. An instructor and field consultant for the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York, where she develops language curriculum and publishes a summer anthology of student teachers. writing, she is also a published poet and writer. AMS-credentialed (EI-II); AMI-credentialed (EC). (5)

Nancy Meckley Remy, MS, is a curriculum and instruction doctoral candidate at the Pennsylvania State University College of Education. She formerly taught early childhood at Chemung Valley Montessori School in Elmira, NY. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7)

Jerry Richmond, MS, is adjunct faculty for the Montessori teacher education program at Chaminade University in Honolulu, HI, and director of Chaminade's summer Montessori mission education program. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3,4)

Ginny Riga, EdD, works at the South Carolina Department of Education's Office of Public School Choice to promote the growth of Montessori in the state's public schools. She is the former principal of Brockman Elementary, a public Montessori school, and district coordinator of Montessori programs in Richland County School District One in Columbia, SC. Ginny is a member of the AMS Board of Directors. (3,4)

Michele Robinson, MEd, is program implementation manager at the All Kinds of Minds Institute in Durham, NC. (7)

Kathy L. Roemer, EdD, is executive director of Twin Parks Montessori Schools in New York, NY. Vice President of AMS, she chairs the Committees on School Quality and Directorship and chaired the AMS 2007 Annual Conference in New York City. She is a teacher educator for West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program in New York City and the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York. AMS-credentialed (EC). (6)

Nancy M. Rose, MA, is executive director of New England Early Childhood Associates, a consultation and support service provider for schools, agencies, and parents. A former AMS Board member and instrumental in beginning the AMS Peace Committee, she founded Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO, and has taught for several Montessori teacher education programs. AMI-credentialed (I&T, EC). (6)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Barb Rueter, MAT, is Montessori coordinator and an early childhood teacher at Hope Montessori.Creve Coeur in St. Louis, MO. She has worked as a teacher educator for several Montessori education programs. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (7)

Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra, DMA, is a music teacher at Go Like the Wind Montessori School in Ann Arbor, MI, where she has developed a Montessori-based vocal music curriculum. A conductor, composer, and recording artist, she has been a music professor and organist at several universities in the United States and Sweden. (3)

Kavita Verma Sahay has been a toddler teacher at Montessori New Beginnings Academy in Plano, TX, for 10 years. Montessori-credentialed (I&T). (3)

Larry Schanker, PhD, is the music director at Brookview School in Benton Harbor, MI, where he designed a composition-based music appreciation program for children of all ages. He has written music for dance, theater, and film for the past 25 years. (5)

Dennis Schapiro is the editor and publisher of Public School Montessorian (Jola Publications) in Minneapolis, MN. A former college administrator, he has also served as a member of the Minneapolis Board of Education. (1, 2)

Nanette (Sheri) Schonleber, PhD, is an assistant professor of early childhood education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the Montessori teacher education program at Chaminade University of Honolulu, HI, which she formerly directed for 10 years. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (3,4)

Gwen D. Shangle, MEd, is director of elementary programs and an upper elementary teacher at Princeton Montessori School in Princeton, NJ. She is also a Montessori teacher educator. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (Parents Program)

Susie Shelton-Dodge, MAT, is director of Hope Montessori.Creve Coeur in St. Louis, MO. She is a former president and vice president of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (7)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Ingrid Sherwood is a lead early childhood teacher at Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School in Frederick, MD. In 1996, she was honored as Elementary/Intermediate Teacher of the Year by the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, TX. AMS-credentialed (EC); Montessori-credentialed (EII). (2)

Robert Shetterly Workshop cancelled

Munir Shivji is executive director of the Institute of Montessori Education in Houston, TX. He is the former head of Innovative Montessori School, also in Houston. He serves on the AMS Development Committee and chaired the 100 Years of Maria Montessori celebration in Houston in 2007. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7)

Barbara Shuman is a toddler teacher educator for the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in Angier, NC. Certified in Redirecting Children's Behavior, she is infant and toddler coordinator at Charles Towne Montessori in Charleston, SC. A Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) Associate, she has served as an RIE and Montessori consultant to a high school program for teen parents and is a board member for Pikler USA. AMS-credentialed (I&T). (5)

Bill Simmer, MA, MDiv, is a Pre-Conference presenter and also presenting in session (7). (Pre-Conference, 7)

Aniceta Skowron, PhD, is a scientist, educator, and founder of Geometro, an Ancaster, ON, Canada.based developer of materials and programs for teaching geometry and related sciences. A former senior scientist at Activation Laboratories in Ontario, she has over 20 years of experience in academic research, education, and educational material development. (5)

Elizabeth Slade is a consultant at New View Montessori. (3)

Lisa Smith is owner and head of Hawthorne Montessori School in Austin, TX. She is a former administrator at Montessori Country Day School in Houston. AMS-credentialed (ADM). (1)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Doris Sommer is AMS senior director of teacher education. A former Montessori early childhood and elementary teacher, she has served as faculty member, consultant, and director of an AMS teacher education program; chaired numerous on-site visits to teacher education programs; and trained MACTE Commission on-site evaluators. AMS-credentialed (EI-II); NCME-credentialed (EC). (2)

Jennifer Spikner, MEd, is acting executive director at Brookview School, a Montessori community in Benton Harbor, MI. AMS-credentialed (EI). (1)

Marilyn E. Stewart, MEd, is president of the AMS Board of Directors and head of the Red Oaks School in Morristown, NJ. She is a trustee of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. (6)

Clay Stites is a partner of Resource Group 175, a firm specializing in head search and governance consulting for not-for-profit independent schools. He is a former independent school head. (2)

Tracey Sulak is a lower elementary teacher at Waco Montessori School in Waco, TX. She is a candidate for a doctorate in educational psychology at Baylor University, also in Waco. (6)

Paul Szkotak is a Montessori parent and a commercial loan officer at FedFirst Commercial Capital in Cherry Hill, NJ. (Parents Program, 1)

Pamela W. Trumble is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Richard A. Ungerer, MS, is executive director of the American Montessori Society. Prior to joining AMS in January 2005, he led a number of not-for-profit organizations committed to enhancing education policy, leadership, and service-learning programs for children and youth. (2)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Catherine Varkas, MS, is founder and director of Palm Harbor Montessori Teacher Education Center in Palm Harbor, FL. She has been a teacher at all levels, from early childhood through college, and is the former curriculum coordinator and head of school at Palm Harbor Montessori Academy. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (6)

Julia Volkman is a Children's House mentor at Zanetti Public Montessori School in Springfield, MA, and the founder/president of Maitri Learning, a Montessori materials company. She is the mother of two Montessori students. AMI-credentialed (EC). (6)

Annika Voynow, MA, is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Gretchen L. Warner, PhD, is a Pre-Conference presenter. (Pre-Conference)

Annemarie Whilton, MLA, Workshop cancelled

Maryanne Wolf, PhD, is the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research, and a professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University in Medford, MA. Her graduate work on the neurological underpinnings of reading, language, and dyslexia was completed at Harvard University. Among her many awards for teaching and research is an Excellence in Teaching Award from the American Psychological Association. She is a cocreator of the RAVE-O reading intervention program and the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, which received the Marek Award from the New York International Dyslexia Association. (6)

Bretta Weiss Wolff, MA, is a school consultant and the school management co-coordinator at the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York. She served AMS as former national director and currently serves as a member of the Archives Committee. Cofounder and administrator of two independent Montessori schools in New York, she is a member of the education committee at the Montessori of the Rio Grande Charter School in Albuquerque, NM. In 2002, she was honored as AMS Living Legacy. St. Nicholas-credentialed (EC). (3)

Margaret Woodman-Russell is an intern at Smith College in Northampton, MA (class of 2010). (3)

Parenthetical numbers following
each presenter’s biography
indicate workshop session(s).

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Carol S. Woods, MA, is director of the Cincinnati Masonic Children's Learning Center in Cincinnati, OH, and a field supervisor for the Greater Cincinnati Center for Montessori Education, in Covington, KY. A fellow in the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, she is past secretary of the Cincinnati Montessori Society. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3,7)

Patti Yonka is a Montessori teacher educator and consultant based in Willis, MI. A former Montessori elementary teacher, she serves AMS as secretary of the Peace Committee, peace table administrator, and as a delegate to the United Nations. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (2)

Linda S. Zankowsky, EdD, is head of Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE, and a member of the AMS Research Committee and the AMS Professional Development Task Force Committee. Her doctoral work focused on school-wide reading assessment in a Montessori program. AMS-credentialed (ADM). (5)

Victoria Zascavage, PhD, Is assistant professor of special education at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. (3)